Welcome to mid-January. And well done for getting through the most miserable week of the year, including the loathed ‘Blue Monday’.
January is all about new chapters, new starts, new resolutions. Some are trying Veganuary, Dry January and ‘No Spend January’. Good luck to you all!
As far as ‘Dry January’ is concerned, almost all of my friends started the month with this mindset, but many fell swiftly off the wagon. For those wanting to stay on board, here’s a fashionable “middle-ground” approach to cutting back on the booze during this depressing and cold month.
Handbag designer Anya Hindmarch has just opened a ‘no and low alcohol off licence’ in her retail ‘village’ in Belgravia.
Open from now until February 10, The Dry Drinker is modelled on an old fashioned offie, stocking over 40 brands of no and low alcohol alongside a selection of retro crisps and sweets. There are alcohol-free offerings from well-known brands alongside more boutique labels. The store’s design feels like a love letter to Britain’s old school off-licences, complete with hanging KP peanuts, baskets of Frazzles and neon card price tags. Look out for tasting notes, special offers and Anya’s picks dotted around too.
People want to wake up feeling good,” says Hindmarch, who no longer drinks in the week but enjoys weekend drinking. “I know that if I drink (during the week) it costs me the next day. I love it, it’s the most fun thing ever, but I don’t want to give away tomorrow”
Hindmarch notes that there is often a lot of peer pressure to drink during the week in social situations, but the sober-curious DRY JANUARY movement is starting to change that, and the store has already received overwhelmingly positive feedback online.
These things really can be beginnings of change for some. Anyway – good luck sticking to your new year’s resolutions and let’s crack on with this week’s Amanda Zips It Up.
